Masquerade
by thehush
Summary: Four months after Buffy’s death, Dawn's school is having a Masquerade ball. Dawn doesn’t want to go, but Spike has plans of his own. Spawnfriendship.
1. Masquerade Part 1: Friday

Masquerade  
  
Masquerade - Part 1: Friday  
  
Summer's Residence  
  
He was sitting in the doorway of Dawn's room again tonight. Waiting, listening, thinking - his thoughts were so loud it woke her from sleep and dragged her out into the hallway. She leaned on the wall and watched him, thinking to herself, and wondering why, why did he still stay.  
  
"I made a promise." Came a whisper, so soft, so unexpected, that she nearly passed it off for a creak in the wood.  
  
Willow knelt down beside Spike, pulling her robe tighter around her nightgown. "Is that the only reason you stay here?"  
  
Shaking his head, Spike sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. She knew there was more than a promise and his love keeping him there. There was also trust and belonging-ness curled up in his heart, nestled beside something that had formed when he let Dawn and Buffy in. It was more than friendship; it was more than love.  
  
"Heard she's not going to a school dance." Spike stood up, silently making his way down the hall. "Can't see why no one wouldn't take her."  
  
She nodded, following him down the stairs. "School's gotten worse for her. Either everyone thinks she's a freak or they think she's trouble." This was all very true. The cuts, the bruises - anyone would think she was either abused or got into a lot of fights. For the last few months she and Tara had to go to conferences and try and explain she was a very active girl who just recently started rock climbing and fencing. Which wasn't far from the truth.  
  
"She deserves better, you know, Red." Spike sprawled out on the couch in the living room and barely looked Willow's way as she sat a chair across from him. "Girl's got a good head on her shoulders, the whole bloody school should be knockin' on her door. Can't see why no one sees that."  
  
"Why don't you take her?" She blurted out rather suddenly, before considering the idea.  
  
He looked her way, raising his scarred eyebrow. "Excuse me?"  
  
The red head shrugged, messing with a button on her gown. "Well, she really looks up to you. I know what it's like to be unpopular - and going to the last dance of the year with someone who doesn't care would really help her. We'd ask Xander to go, but you know him, he's sweet, but he wouldn't look right with her. It's a Victorian Masquerade type of thing - you'd fit in. You two could run the whole show!" Willow smiled, looking off, "It would make her happy." she sniffed, laughing sadly.  
  
Spike got up and walked over to her, noticing she was crying in between each laugh. "Hey-hey," he knelt down and looked up at her, "What's this? Come on, Red, your not gonna go all soppy eyes on me now, are you?" something softened in those blue eyes of his just before he rolled them to the side, as if mentally kicking the humanity in him. "Look if it really means that much to you, I'll do it."  
  
Willow wiped her eyes and gave him a sincere look of amazement. "Are you serious?"  
  
Nodding, he stood back up and paced the living room. "Well, I hate to see her so glum. I miss her laugh you know?" Spike shrugged and suddenly stopped, staring out into the front yard. "Poor Niblet," he laughed bitterly, "Know how it was not being liked - especially in school."  
  
Somewhere, deep inside, Willow noticed the Vampire before her flinch. It was barely noticeable, possibly not even happening under the skin, but somewhere deep in his memory. She tried to reach out and seize it, so maybe she could find out more about this man who had gone from evil to sincere in over two years - but it was gone.  
  
"So you'll do it." She stood up and went to touch his shoulder, "So you'll take her to the dance?"  
  
Before she could reach him, he moved away from her and toward the stairs - as if expecting her to come console him. "Get some sleep, Willow." Replied a voice that was sadder and yet, almost familiar. "Stop looking past me." 


	2. Masquerade – Part 2: Saturday

Masquerade - Part 2: Saturday  
  
Dawn's room.  
  
"Spike! Spike!" He was startled awake by someone's loud voice, causing him to roll off the couch and onto the floor. Familiar laughter rang all around him as he slowly came out of his groggy state. "You really need to sleep in your own room, you know?"  
  
Opening his eyes he found Dawn standing above him in a blue tank top and jeans. Her lucid blue eyes glowed with unspoken happiness that made him wonder what she was up to. Sitting up, Spike rubbed his head and got back onto the couch Willow and Tara had moved into Dawn's room for just such an occasion. "Why are you awake before twelve, you're never this eager to wake up on a weekend."  
  
A smug smirk spread across her face as she reached over behind him and pulled open the curtain. Looking outside, he found it wasn't sunrise but sunset - he had slept all day. This wasn't much of a surprise, since Buffy's death he hadn't gotten much sleep - if any at all. "Why didn't you wake me up? Weren't you suppose to move-"  
  
Before he could finish his sentence, Dawn grabbed his hand and dragged him into the hall, then into the room that had once been an office. Now it had a small bed that they had pulled out of the attic and covered in red sheets and a red comforter. It had once been Buffy's when she was a little girl, if he remember Dawn's stories correctly. There was also a shelf, filled with books, figurines, and artifacts Joyce had been collecting over the years before her death. And in front of the window - covered in foil and thick, heavy curtains - was an empty desk with a simple lamp and several poetry books he had never seen before.  
  
"Willow and Tara went to the bookstore today. I went along and found some old poetry books I thought you might like. And I got you this." Dawn went over to the desk, switching on the light so she could see. She opened a side drawer and took out a small black book. Handing it to him, he looked it over to find it was a blank journal, ready to be written in. Ages ago he had kept one for poetry, but it had long since been destroyed. He flipped through the pages until he felt the old poems come back to him.  
  
Clutching the book close to his chest, Spike sat on the bed and took in the room once more. "You didn't have to do this, you know."  
  
She shrugged. "Don't worry about it. We were planning on turning it into a room anyway." Dawn looked around and smiled. "Tara says we're gonna paint it once we get the rest of house situated. It'll be nice!" Sitting down on the bed, she looked him over. "You wanna go to the mall?"  
  
To the average person, this was a normal question. But to a one hundred and twenty two-year-old vampire, it was like asking him to take a walk in the daylight. "What? Why? All those florescent lights, humans and their bloody candy smelling brats." He paused and thought about it for a moment. Rarely was he able to go anywhere she could because of that daylight factor. The mall was the perfect place for him to experience her world - no matter how annoying and superficial it all seemed. It also gave him the opportunity to find her a dress. "Bugger." He rubbed his neck; acting like it pained him to go along. "Get something decent on and I'll meet you in the living room in five minutes."  
  
Without warning, Dawn gave him a hug - it smelled of lavender and some perfume she had bought just recently - and walked out of the room with a bounce to her step. Spike sighed, sprawling out on his new bed. He could barely remember what a bed felt like anymore - it had been ages it seemed, since Dru and he had been together.  
  
That thought made him quiver deep down internally. Pushing it away, he got up and walked over to his combat boots.  
  
The Mall.  
  
The mall was too crowded, too noisy.too fast. It reminded her of school. She was use to the slowness and quiet of the world her sister lived in - the world she had fought in daily. The human world - to someone who lived in the world of the unnoticed - was minute to minute, masking anything out of the ordinary. The unseen world was slow and dark, always hidden in silence. Although she and the others were human, they were only on the fringes of the human world. Knowing she wasn't normal, Dawn felt uncomfortable in the fast world. In it, humans overlooked the odd occurrences and strange faces.  
  
Slipping her hand into Spike's, she felt safe - as if being with him, there, was some sort of 'home'. She felt out of place in her simple tank top, jeans, and clunky sandals. But she knew she wasn't alone. Spike strolled beside her in his usual tight leather pants, black muscle shirt and combat boots. They were quietly invading a raging world that amused them.  
  
In two hours, they had already gone through half the mall, and two bags worth of clothing was their only reward for braving the crowd. Spike had found a pair of jeans and a few normal shirts that had interested him. Dawn had gotten a simple blue sundress and a new nail polish full of silver glitter and baby blue paint.  
  
A familiar sign caught Spike's eye and made him stop and turn toward the colorful shop. "Lets make a stop in here, Bit."  
  
Dawn peered into the window and saw all the costumes filling the store. "Why do you wanna go in there?"  
  
He shrugged, pulling her in. "Old friend works here. Come on, you can look at the dresses.  
  
Walking in Spike brushed past the thick racks of handmade costumes and masks. "Max?" he leaned over the counter. "Hey old man, don't tell me, you actually got a life."  
  
From the room in the back, a beaded door rattled as a young man walked through. His hair was ivory blond, falling just over his ears and into his lucid green eyes. A well-worn T-shirt hugged the man's toned chest and abs, while jeans hung lazily off his sharp hips. Tall, lanky, and regal - he made Spike almost feel inferior. "William?" Max's smooth voice filled the store, even though it was soft like a whisper.  
  
Spike sat on the counter and watched as his friend strolled out into the main room of the shop and leaned casually on the wall. "Hey Max."  
  
Looking toward Dawn, Max tilted his head to the side, studying her. "William, you do realize you're hanging out with a human shaped Key. right?"  
  
Dawn heard the comment and glanced at Spike worriedly. He held up his hands and mouthed 'don't worry'. She went back to sifting through the Victorian styled dresses. "That's Dawn. Don't tell me you didn't know about Glory and the Key." He took out his lighter and started to open and shut the metal lid.  
  
"Glory?" Max studied Dawn again. "Tall, blond, thought her goons could steal half my store? Nope, not a thing."  
  
Spike shrugged, not wanting to get into it. "I need a dress."  
  
The other man laughed. "Uh, last time I checked you weren't a shape shifter. Please don't tell me you've gone Drag."  
  
"What?!" the vampire gave the man a hint of his demon side. "Look you shape shifting Poof! Do you want me to mangle that new body of yours!"  
  
"Ooo, touchy." Max walked out from behind the counter and started following Dawn. "So milady, see anything you like?"  
  
Dawn stopped and gave him a look. "Maybe." She peered behind him and looked toward Spike. "Uh, can we go now?"  
  
He knew she wasn't comfortable with the shape shifter demon. Sometimes, he wasn't either, but Spike had gotten what he had wanted and Max was pretty much harmless. He was amazed Dawn hadn't at least humored the guy, he tried so hard to find someone who would stay with him. At least for as long as they could. Living forever had that effect.  
  
Hopping off the counter, Spike grabbed his bag off the floor and wrapped a protective arm around Dawn's waist as they headed for the door. "I'll call you later."  
  
Max leaned in the doorway of the shop and watched them go. "Hope you remembered an umbrella!"  
  
Outside.  
  
His eyes stared up into the sky, as if it would open up and strike him down. Someone had stolen his car and dumped whatever he had in it onto the parking lot pavement. It was all made worse by the pouring rain. His hair fell into his face as gel clung to his fingers every time he went to brush it back. Dawn shivered as he stuffed his things into the shopping bags. Handing her one of his dry shirts and she slipped it over her head. Reaching for one of his bags to help him, Spike took her hand briefly and shook his head, picking up the bags. "Come on, we better find a payphone."  
  
He knew she wouldn't object - she was the only one who ever really agreed with him. They walked quietly through the drenching rain, staying close and keeping an eye on the dark shadows looming all around them. Spike wasn't even phased by it, but he knew that what hid among those dark corners could sense Dawn - portal or no, she was still a being of energy. Anyone with enough foresight could _see_ her.  
  
Finally reaching the payphone just outside the mall parking lot, they both squeezed into the glass box and watched the rain come down. Spike used the phone while Dawn leaned her head against the door. Water was dripping off them enough to create a nice cold pool at their feet.  
  
"Hey Red, it's me." He winced as something loud interrupted him. "Well I was getting to that. we're fine, just a little wet. Look someone stole my car. no, they dumped all my stuff out. we're at a payphone on Peterson and Whendon. I don't think we're going anywhere Red. Alright, alright, see you in a minute. Bye." Hanging up the phone, Spike ran a hand through his hair and wiped the gel off on his jeans. "Willow and Tara'll be here in a few."  
  
Dawn shivered. "I can't wait to get home." She set down the bags and rubbed her own arms. "I'm sorry about your car."  
  
He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I needed a new one anyway." He noticed she was shaking a lot more then she was before and pulled out his lighter. Before he could flick it open, Dawn moved from her spot against the door and wrapped frail arms around his stomach. "I'm not any warmer, love."  
  
There was the sweet smile that made even the cruelest hearts falter. "S'okay."  
  
As he pet her hair gently, they watching the rain pour down the phone booth. After a while though, she looked up at him with questioningly eyes. "Why did you take me to the costume shop, Spike? It wasn't just to see your friend, was it?"  
  
The girl was smart. It always amazed him how much she knew and caught onto. Spike sighed and didn't meet her gaze. "I was going to take you to that Masquerade dance for school."  
  
Dawn laughed lightly. "What? Why?"  
  
After a while he finally looked down at her with a sad smile. "You deserve a normal life. You should be able to have normal friends, normal nights, normal boyfriends, and normal dances."  
  
Waving her hand in front of his face, she made a very Buffy-like response. "Hello?" Dawn leaned against the other side of the phone booth. "I'm not normal. Even if I went back home to dad, I'd still be a big ball of energy that can open dimensions. I'd still be friends with a vampire, an ex vengeance demon, a construction worker, two witches, and a retired watcher. I'd still be the Slayer's sister. I would still be an outcast and stay up late at the night cause I know what's out there. Normal boyfriends? I can never have a normal boyfriend, cause if I did, they wouldn't understand any of this. I live in your world, Spike." She sighed, smiling softly up at him. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. I always thought I wanted a normal life. Buffy always said she wanted to be normal. But we're not. No matter how old we are or where we live, we'll never be normal. We were born in this place. This is our home."  
  
If anyone else had heard her, they would have taken her away. But to him, it was like scripture. What confused him was that it came from a sixteen- year-old girl. She realized the things her sister did not. She embraced the world that she was born into and created her very own 'normal life'. To the human world, she was unique and lived with odd relatives who were close to her dead mother and sister. To their world - she was a single being. Powerful and young - with close and dangerous allies.  
  
After that, the booth was quiet as they waited patiently for the bright headlights of Tara's car. 


	3. Masquerade – Part 3: Sunday

Masquerade - Part 3: Sunday  
  
Summer's Residence  
  
Early in the morning, sun still an hour away from rising, Tara fixed a mug of hot chocolate for the man who sat at their kitchen table. She admired him in a way, finding his gentle nature with their youngest and his devotion to them inspiring. He was like an anti-hero that had been thrown into a destiny few could see.  
  
He sat lazily in the chair closest to where she stood and laid his head back so he could keep and eye on her. Normally, if he did this to anyone else, they would get nervous and tell him to stop. But Tara didn't mind, she understood that he was just keeping a watchful eye and quite possibly not even looking at her, but through her - lost in his thoughts.  
  
Setting down his yellow mug, she sat in the chair beside him, taking in the smell of drying rainwater and aged cologne. "Why don't you get some sleep, Spike?"  
  
There was a groan. "Not tired, just thinking, sweet."  
  
A pet name. Everyone who knew Spike, knew their pet names. She had never had one. Quiet and out of the way, they never really interacted enough for her to have a name. But ever since Buffy passed away, and the group had come back together, Spike and Tara had become part of a bigger whole.  
  
They were 'family'.  
  
The word rolled out on the tongue like lemon drops. It was a word her mother had used before she passed on. Her family had left the minute her mother was put into the ground. Now she had that feeling back. This was her family now.  
  
"Did you ask her about the Masquerade?" Tara asked, getting up to fix Sunday breakfast for Dawn and Willow.  
  
Now she had his full attention. "I did. She says she doesn't want to go." He drummed his fingers on the warm mug. "But I think I got a plan."  
  
"Oh?" she opened the fridge and took out the eggs and sausage. "What might that be?"  
  
Spike stood up, silently agreeing to help her as he went to the cabinet and got out the honey and salt. "There's a place out in the city, it's called 'The Manor' - a mansion, that's rented out every month for this goofy little shindig for Goths, vampire wannabes - you name it, they're there. You'd think it would be nothing but a bunch of nutcases dancing about in fancy Victorian outfits and fake teeth, but their pretty authentic and wild with the whole thing. It's got that whole Anne Rice business down to a few mimicking Lestats. Absolutely bloody fascinating if you ask me."  
  
Letting the sausage cook, Tara turned toward him, already aware of where this was going. "Instead of taking her to a deluded high school Masquerade party, you're taking her to a real one?"  
  
Sighing, he sat back down in his seat heavily. "Knew you wouldn't like it."  
  
"No!" She laughed quietly so as not to wake the others. "No-no, I think that's a much better idea. It might boost her confidence or maybe win her some new friends." The young witch took the eggs off the burner, "Dawn's not happy with her own age, her own 'generation'. She seems to be a lot happier running around in yours, so I think if she's with you then anything. besides maybe hunting or you know. then her life will be happier. Even, I would much rather she goes to a party with you, where I know you'll be watching her. You're her bodyguard with big gnashing teeth."  
  
Spike smirked, sipping the hot chocolate. "Xander's let Willow and you watch Monty Python one too many times." Setting the mug down, he stood up and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'll be back after the Bit goes to the store with Red, Sweet."  
  
Watching him go to the back door, Sun almost peeking over the horizon, Tara touched her cheek. He slid a black hoodie over his head and walked out the door like nothing special had just gone on between them.  
  
When Willow walked in a second later and kissed the same cheek - Tara couldn't help but smile. 


End file.
